Past successes are the enemies of today's glories and tomorrow's hopes. Looking back to past success can be very dangerous to our progress, and might hinder us from living out a life that grows more abundant with each coming day.
In Luke 9:61-62, we read of Jesus' conversation with a person who wanted to follow Him, but was denied due to this reason.
"Another said, 'Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.' But Jesus told him, 'Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.'"
Here are some reasons why looking back to past success is dangerous to us.
1. Looking Back to Yesterday Makes Us Unfit for God's Purpose Today
Jesus said "anyone who ... looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God." That may sound harsh, but it's true: God is the God who keeps doing new things, and if we look back, we will surely miss out on what He wants to do today.
In Isaiah 43:18-19, God says, "Stop dwelling on past events and brooding over times gone by; I am doing something new; it's springing up — can't you see it?"
Whatever our past experiences may be, we must stop looking back to it to see God moving today!
2. Looking Back Might Cause Us to Worry Unnecessarily
Preoccupation with concerns will hinder a person from following Christ.
I'm not saying that saying good-bye to family or caring for them is wrong. In fact, the Bible says we must take care of them. Even Jesus did that up to the point of death on the cross. But anything that will cause us to worry and lose focus on God's priorities for us will hinder us from pursuing Him.
If we want to follow God, we must avoid dwelling on things other than His will for us. Jesus said we can't put our hands on the plow to serve Him and look back to other things. If we look to "better times" before we follow Christ, we just might return to those times.
3. Looking Back to Yesterday Makes Us Swerve Left and Right
Anyone who's ever seen a farmer work on plowing knows how important it is for farmers to focus on the direction they go while working. If they look back, they will surely go in crooked lines, thereby causing an unevenly plowed land.
God told Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do." (v. 1:7)
If we want to go forward in a straight line, we should never look back. We won't see where we are going if we always look back to where we came from.
While it's good to learn from past success, looking back to them might cause us to compare our present achievements to those of the past. We must learn to move from success to success. Even God changes us from "glory to glory" (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). Let's follow suit.
